Machine for straightening and cutting wire



Mar. 5; 1929. F. c. HuTcHlNsoN MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING AND CUTTING WIRE Filed Feb. 5, 1.927

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MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING AND CUTTING WIRE Filed Feb. 5. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 f ,q [511mm to z! 5, 1.929. F, Q HUTCHlNsoN 1,703,885

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING AND CUTTING WIRE v Filed. Feb. 5, 1527 3 Shqets-Sbeet 5- .HIM

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Patented ',Mar. 5, .1929.

` UNITED STATES FRANK COLE HUTCHINSON, F BUTHEBI'OBD, NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR S'IRAIGHTENING AND CUTTING WIRE.

Application led February My invention relates to` means for cutting and straightening wire, and particularly to devices for this purpose which are adapted to receive wire as it is delivered to the user in large coils, feeding the wire from s'uch a coil, straightening the same out into a straight piece and cutting oli' portions of said wire of predetermined length.

One of the principal purposes for which wire of the kind referred to is used is-in placing around packing cases and the like, and portions of wire used for this purpose require not only to be cut from the coil into appropriate lengths, but also to be fully straightened out in order to facilitate handling and securing around the case.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a simple and economical apparatus by which the above uses may be accomplished in a satisfactory and etlicient manner.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of various devices, elements and parts, as set forth in the claims hereof, one embodiment of the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in this specification.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a machine constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of one end of the machine;

Fig. 8 is a view looking in the opposite direction and showing the other end of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a plan view 0f the machine; and

Fig. 5 is a view partly in section and on an enlarged scale, showing certain features of the machine in a somewhat modified form.

In carrying my invention into effect in theembodiment thereof which I have selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings and for description in this specification, Ivprovide a supporting frame 11 upon which are mounted the operative parts' of the machine. The coil of wire to be straightened and cut into lengths is fed in at the end of the machine shown on the left hand in Fig. 4. Two wires are shown, designated 12. These wires pass through per-` forated guide members 13 (see Fig. 4) and then pass successively between a series of straightening devices 14 and 15, suitably mounted on the supporting frame of the mas, scf-1M 166,ws-HEISSUED clnne (see Figs. 1 and 4). These are preferably rollers or rotating disks having peri heralgrooves into which the wire runs. Xd- ]usting devices' 16 are shown by which the positionf these rollers may be changed so as to accommodate wire of different gauges. -At the beginning of the operation the wlres are pushed in through the perforated guides and between the rollers, if necessary being threaded through by hand, and from there are led to the drawing devices en or operatively connected with the main driving shaft. It will be understood that the structure and operation of my improved apparatus is duplex, that is to say, it is capable of taking care simultaneously of two wires run through the machine side by side, though ata suitable distance apart, or of operating upon either one or two wires as desired. In the cutting mechanism now to be described, where the various parts are mentioned, but with no explicit reference to the doubling of parts above referred to, it must be understood that certain of these parts are duplicated in the machine, while other parts are common to both sets of mechanism, 'all of which, however, will be easily understood by an inspection of the drawings in connection with the description.

The main driving shaft of the machine is designated 17. This driving shaft has at one end the usual driving pulley and idler pulley 18 and 19, over which passes' a belt 20 connected with some suitable souroe of power, and at the other end a hand wheel 21. A belt-shifter of the usual type is shown at 22.

The main shaft 17 bears near one end and just inside of the hand wheel 21 (see Figs. 2 and 3) a gear wheel 28, and near the other end, inside of the driving and idler pulleys,

a similar gear wheel, which is not easily discerned in the drawings but which may be seen by a careful inspection of Fig. 2, Where the wheel mentioned is designated 10. Above the shaft 17 are adjustably journaled as hereinafter described) a pair of shafts 26 and 26a. The ends of these shafts bear gear wheels 27 and 59 respectively (best shown in Fig. 4), the gear wheel 27 gearing with the wheel 28 on one end of the shaft l17, and the wheel 59 gearing with a. corresponding wheel 10 on the other end ofthe shaft 17 (only seen in Fi 2). Onthe shafts 17, 26 and 26, interme 'ate their ends,

are drawin wheels between whichthe wires pass' and y which the same are drawn through the machine to the cuttin devices.

Thesevdrawing wheels are' best s own inA Fig. 4, where the upper vpair is designated 30. The upper wheels are also shown 1n Fig. 2, the correspondin lower wheels appearing rather obscurely 1n dotted` hne.

The shafts 26 and 26al are, as above said, adjustably journaled, so as to ermit the drawing wheels 30 thereon to e slightly raised or lowered and thereby brought nearer to or further away from the lower ,pair of drawing wheels on the shaft 17. his object is attained by journahng the shafts 26 and 26 in swinging arms 96 (best shown in Fig. 1), which arms, four 1n all, two for the shaft 26 and twofor the sha-ft 26, are pivotally supported on the s haft 91 and at the other end capable of vertlcal adjustment by means of ad'iusting devices 92. The object of this methodof mounting, as will be obvious to one skilledin the art, 1s to ermit wires of different gauge to be operate upon at the same time on different sides of the machine, this being rendered possible by a slight adjustment in the distance between the drawing wheels on one side of the machlne or the other.

As the wire is drawn into the machine by the drawing wheels above described, 1t

asses into a tubular guide 35, which cannot ge very clearly shown in "the main drawings, although its position is indicated 1n Fig. 4. This device is, however, well shown in Fig.. 5, which is a view on an enlarged scale of a modified form of the cutter itself, with its appurtenant parts, but which View may also serve to represent the parts 1n proximity to the cutter in the main form of the invention as well. The tubular guide 35 is screw-threaded so as to be movably secured into the casting 36, which 1s slidably mounted on the frame of the machine and which is reciprocated by a link 37 pivotally 'adapted to cut lthe wire 12 into suitable lengths. In the embodiment of t-he invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 the knives are designated 45, and flat springs 46 are shown tendiner to hold the knives upward. In the modification shown in Fig. '5, the knife is designated 47 and is shown as pushed upward by a spiral spring 48. In practical use the modification shown in Fig. 5 is in many respects preferable, as flat springs the slidingmember 36 is drawn backward by the link 37, the knife 47 passes under the roller 52 and is depressed, thus causing the lower end of the knife 47 to sever the wire 12. When the knife moves forward again, the arm 51 is swung out ofthe way by the upper end of the knife, and falls down into its operative position again after thc knife has passed.

The link 37 is operated by the wheel 40, which is fast on the shaft 41, inthe following manner: Also keyed on to said shaft, so

that while slidable thereon it is not rotatable thereon, is the clutch member 56, which is adapted to engage with the clutch member 55 which is loose on said shaft 41. The clutch member 55 is, however, being constantly rotated during the operation of the machine by 'the gears 57, 58 and 10 (see Fig. 4).

Toward the rear of' the machine is a sprocket 60, and slidably and adjustably supported on anupwardly extending arm 61 above the sprocket 60, is another sprocket 62. The sprocket chain 63 engages with the sprockets 61 and 62, and is adapted to be lengthened and shortened as the sprocket 62 may be set at a higher or lower point upon the arm 61. The sprocket 60 is fast on a shaft 64, and also fast on this shaft is another sprocket 65 (best shown in Fig. 4) over which a sprocket chain 66 runs to the sprocket 67 on the shaft 26 (sec Figs. 1 and 4). The rotation of shaft 26a and sprocket 6 moves the sprocket chain 63, in a manner which will be well understood, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. A small pin or cross bar, best shown 1n Fig. 4 and designated 70, is attached to the chain 63, and as this pin passes downward it operates the sliding stop 71, drawing the Sallie backward and out of engagement with the cam 72 on the clutch 56 (see Fig. 4). Upon the disengagement of said stop 71 from said cam 72, the springs 73 force the sliding clutch member 56 into engagement with the clutch member 55, which is rotating. This communicates rotary motion to the clutch inem- 4ber 56 and through it to the shaft 41 and wheel 40, andthereby reciprocating motion through the link 37 to the members in which the cutting knivesare mounted. The two clutch members 55 and 56 remain in contact for a predetermined time, that is to say,

until the wheel 40 has made a complete rotation, at which time the said clutch members are separated by the action of the inclined surface cam on the stop 7l, in a manner which will be well understood.

The reason for the construction wherebythe length of the chain 63 may be increased or decreased, is in order that longer or shorter times may elapse, as may be desired, between the successive operations of the knives 47, thus permitting longer or shorter lengths of wire to be cut off.

After the lengths of wire have been separated by the knives 47, they are received in a suitable trough or other support 80, from which they may be removed by hand or by any suitable delivery mechanism.

rIhe operation of my invention has been necessarily p inted out above in connection with the description of the construction of the apparatus. The advantages of my invention over what has been known in the prior art will be obvious, and need not. be specifically set forth.

I do not limit myself to the exact form of construction or arrangement of parts herein set forth and illustrated, since it is obvious that various modifications of the same can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure' by Letters Patent is as follows:

l. An apparatus of the kind described comprising in combination the following elements and parts: a frame adapted to support the operating parts of the machine, an inlet for wire, devices adjacent said inlet adapted to straighten said wire, a cross-head slidably mounted in said frame, a knife mounted in said cross-head adapted to cut wire, devices adapted to draw wire into the machine and to pass the same under said knife positively, mechanism adapted to move said cross-head and said knife along the machine synchronously with said wire, devices adapted to depress said knife upon said wire at a predetermined point while said knife is traveling at the same speed and in the same direction as the said wire, and devices adapted to return said cross-bead and said knife to their original position.

2. An apparatus of the kindl described comprising in combination the following elements and parts: a frame adapted to support the operating parts of the machine, an inlet for wire, devices adjacent said inlet adapted to straighten said wire, a crosshead slidably mounted in said frame, a knife mounted in said cross-head adapted to cut wire, devices adapted to draw wire into the machine and to pass the same under said knife, mechanism adapted to move said cross-head and said knife positively along the machinesynchronously with said wire, devices adapted to depress said knife upon said wire at a predetermined point whileI s'aid knife is traveling at the same speed and in the same direction as the said wire, devices adapted to return said cross-hea d and said knife to their original position, and devices adapted to control the cutting operation of said knife so that it may operate at longer or shorter intervals of time, whereby it is adapted to eut said wire into longer or shorter lengths as may be predetermined, said devices comprising a band chain running over an adjustable pulley journaled in said frame, said chain .having removable links whereby the chain can be shortened or lengthened as desired, and a trip device carried by said chain and adapted to engage with other moving parts of the machine.

3. An apparatus of the kind described comprising in combination the following elements and parts: a frame adapted to support the operating parts of the machine, an inlet for wire, devices adjacent said inlet adapted to straighten said wire, a cross-head slidably mounted in said frame, a knife mounted in said cross-head adapted to cut wire, devices adaptedV to draw wire into the machine and to pass the' same under said knife comprising a plurality of pairs of drawing wheels, adjusting means for said drawing wheels adapted to increase or lessen the distance between the wheels of any pair of said wheels, mechanism adapted to move said cross-head and knife positively along the machine synchronously with said wire, devices adapted to depress said knife upon said wire" at a predetermined point while said knife is, traveling at the same speed and in the same direction as the said wire, and devices adapted to return said crossbead and said 4knife to their original position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 2d day of February, 1927.

FRANK COLE HUTCHINSON. 

